1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a playground apparatus and, more particularly, to a solo-operable seesaw for indoor or outdoor use.
2. Prior Art
For decades, children have spent incalculable hours of their childhood riding an apparatus commonly known as a seesaw or teeter-totter. In the early stages of its product life, such apparatuses were most commonly found on playgrounds, in city parks, schools and the like due to their size and cost. In recent years, due to the widespread adaptation of durable plastic material to playground equipment, such apparatuses have become readily available to homeowners because of their reduced cost and weight.
Despite these enhancements, however, the common seesaw still has a number of inherent features that make it less than ideal as a playground apparatus. First, because the seesaw requires two children in order to be operational, a child must always have a playmate available in order to ride the seesaw. With home seesaws, this may not always be the case because couples are having fewer children today and parents are increasingly concerned about safety when their child is away from home and out of sight. Therefore, a sibling or neighbor may not always be available to ride the seesaw. Second, because the seesaw operates on the principle of counterbalancing weights, injury can result if a rider suddenly falls or jumps off the seesaw while the opposing rider is high in the air, particularly if one rider is substantially heavier than the other. In this scenario, the opposing rider is sent crashing to the ground and the sudden impact may jar a child's joints or cause spine or tailbone injuries. Third, a seesaw plank can be a dangerous object in the hands of a mischievous child who may abruptly pull down on one end when another child is passing by the opposite end, causing the opposite end to rise quickly and potentially striking the passing child. Fourth, due to their size and the height reached by a rider, such seesaws are generally limited to outdoor use.
Because of the above shortcomings, a need remains for a playground apparatus similar to a conventional seesaw, but operable by a single user, eliminating the need to have a second rider. Second, a need also remains for a playground apparatus that is economical in cost to manufacture, lightweight, and easy to use. Third, a need remains for a playground apparatus that offers greater safety than conventional seesaws, offers hours of exciting diversion for a child, and affords an alternative to swing sets and other recreational devices. Lastly, a need remains for a portable seesaw apparatus that can be used indoors during inclement weather conditions and outdoors when weather permits.